What References DoPodręcznik PHPPoprzedniRozdział 14. References ExplainedNastępnyWhat References Do PHP references allow you to make two variables to refer to the same content. Meaning, when you do: $a =& $b it means that $a and $b point to the same variable. Notatka: $a and $b are completely equal here, that's not $a is pointing to $b or vice versa, that's $a and $b pointing to the same place. The same syntax can be used with functions, that return references, and with new operator (in PHP 4.0.4 and later): $bar =& new fooclass(); $foo =& find_var ($bar); Notatka: Not using the & operator causes a copy of the object to be made. If you use $this in the class it will operate on the current instance of the class. The assignment without & will copy the instance (i.e. the object) and $this will operate on the copy, which is not always what is desired. Usually you want to have a single instance to work with, due to performance and memory consumption issues. The second thing references do is to pass variables by-reference. This is done by making a local variable in a function and a variable in the calling scope reference to the same content. Example: function foo (&$var) { $var++; } $a=5; foo ($a); will make $a to be 6. This happens because in the function foo the variable $var refers to the same content as $a. See also more detailed explanations about passing by reference. The third thing reference can do is return by reference. PoprzedniSpis treściNastępnyReferences ExplainedPoczątek rozdziałuWhat References Are Not